Harambee Starlets debutant pumped ahead of WAFCON qualifying test against Gambia
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Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 14.10.25. | 20:19
She is one of the new faces in the senior team who have graduated from U20 side Rising Starlets
Youngster Shirleen Opisa says it is a massive opportunity for her to link up with the women’s national football side - Harambee Starlets - for the first time in her career, even as the squad prepares for their final round of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifiers against The Gambia later this month.
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The forward, plying her trade with Uganda’s Amus College, is one of the new faces in Beldine Odemba’s side that has been in camp since Sunday, 5 October, preparing for their two-legged tie in Nairobi and neutral Senegal (due to the absence of a CAF-approved venue in Gambia) on Friday, 24 and Tuesday, 28 October, respectively.
Speaking to FKF Media, Opisa spoke of her first camp with the senior team, saying, “It is a big opportunity. The intensity in training is high, and everyone is giving their best to get wins both home and away.”
Focus looks good on us 😌#HarambeeStarlets #RoadToWAFCON pic.twitter.com/Xcuf9L5AFF
— Harambee Starlets (@StarletsKE) October 14, 2025
The former Vihiga Queens player has previous experience with the Kenya U20 side - Rising Starlets - and she will be joined by another youngster from the same team in Charity Midewa, who helped the junior side book a place in the penultimate stage of the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers.
Other U20 graduates now in the senior team include Elizabeth Muteshi and Lorine Ilavonga.
Shirleen Opisa/FKF Media“We are learning a lot from the coaches and the technical bench here,” Opisa said. “As a playing unit, we are also pushing hard and are committed to do the job.
We believe in ourselves because of the training we have been doing for the past two to three weeks, and we are ready to give our best performance.”
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The same kind of optimism was expressed by Kibera Soccer Women’s Faith Mboya, who talked about the unity in the squad, which she believes will account for much as the team chases its first WAFCON finals appearance since 2016.
“The sessions here are tough, but we are psyching each other up and encouraging each other to give our best,” she said. “That kind of morale is motivating everyone to believe we can make it.”
